Potato digger and shaker.



110.870,67?. PATENTED Nov.12, 1907. l

- M. HEBTING.

PoTATo BIGGER AND SHAKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26. 1906-.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

2 31am/utero No. 870,677. PATENTBD Nov. 12, 1907. M. HEBTING. PoTATo BIGGER AND SHAKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

YN: Nunms PETERS co. wAsnlNrTu'v, n. c.

'PATENT ernten.

MARTIN HEBTING, OF KAW, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.1

POTA'IO DIGGER AND SHAKER.

No. 870,677.v Specification of Letters Patent.' Patented Nov. 12, 1907'.

Application filed September 26. 1906. Serial No. 336,310.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN IIEBTING, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Kaw, in the county of Kay and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato Diggers and Shakers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in diggers, and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in digging potatoes, and my Objectis to provide a device whereby the potatoes will be separated from the earth and carried to the upper end of the digger where they are deposited into any suitable receptacle or directed upon the top of the ground.

A further object is to provide means for adjusting the digging apparatus whereby the same will be directed at different depths into the earth. i

A still further object is to provide means for pulling the vines and weeds from the earth so that they will be readily carried to the upper' end of the digger and discharged.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter rc- `ferred. to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application: Figure l is a side elevation of my improved digger showing the same in operation. Fig. `2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view as seen from line 3-3 Fig. 2, and, Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the digging mechanism removed from its supporting frame.

Referring t0 the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, l indicates an axle to each end of which is, secured asuitable carrying wheel 2.

Secured to the axle l in any preferred manner are the free ends of a substantially U-shaped frame 3 having a tongue 4 secured to the outer end thereof.

Mounted upon the axle l and between the ends of the frame 3 is a conveyer frame 5, to the lower inclined end of which is secured a plow or digger 6, which is adapted to enter the ground and deposit potatoes and earth into the lower end of the conveyer frame. Immediately in the rear of the plow 6 is a shaker, which is composed of a plurality of strips 7 which are pivotally secured to the conveyer frame 5 at their upper ends, and are connected together near their lower ends by means of a slide bar 8, said slide bar being secured to the lower edge of the conveyer frame 5 by means of suitable brackets 9 and in which the bar 8 is adapted to reciprocate.

An auxiliary strip l0 is disposed below the strips 7 and has one of its ends pivotally secured to the conveyer frame 5, While the opposite end thereof is pivotcd to the slide bar 8, the auxiliary strip l0 having a pitman l 'Il secured to the central portion thereof and directed io one side of the conveyer frame, where it is secured to a wrist pin l2 carried by the usual form of operating wheel 13. The wheel 13 is in turn mounted upon the end of the driving shaft l4, which is mounted at one end in a suitable bearing l5 carried by the conveyer' frame and at its opposite end in a hearing I6 on the axle l, the inner end of said shaft having a pinion l7 mounted thereon which is disposed into mesh with a beveled gear 18, fixedly secured to the axle l, so that when the digger is moved forward the strips 7 will be oscillated through the medium of the pitman 1l, thereby separating the potatoes from the earth, the earth falling through between the strips 7, while thc potatoes are moved upwardly in the conveyer frame until they are engaged by a carrier 19, the slats 20 of which extend across the conveyer frame, so that when the slats engage the potatoes, they will be moved to the upper end of the frame and deposited in any suitable receptacle or d ircctly upon the ground` The carrier l9 is disposed above the pivoted ends of the strips 7 and a plurality of fixed strips 2l at the upper end of the conveyer frame, and is driven through the medium of a pair of sprockets 22 mounted upon a shaft 23, which extends laterally through the conveyer frame 5, and has a gear 24 secured to one end thereof which is adapted to mesh with a similar gear 25 secured to a stub shaft 26.

Secured to the opposite end of the shaft 2G is a gear 27, which is adapted to mesh with a large gear 2S upon the axle l and through the Inedium of which thc carrier 19 is operated. The upper end of the carrier 19 is disposed around a pair of idlers 29, which are mounted upon a shai t 30 at the upper end of the carrier frame.

secured to the frame 3 by means of arms 3l, said arms being pivotally secured at their lower ends to the conveyer frame 5 and extend upwardly through slots in the frame 3, said arms being provided with a plurality of openings 32, in which is adapted to take a Cotter pin or the like 33, sothat when thc forward end of the conveyer frame has been raised or lowered the propel' distance the pins 33 are disposed through one of the openings 32 immediately above the edge of the frame 3, thereby limiting the downward movement of the forward end of the conveyer frame 5, and at the same time leaving the conveyer frame free to be lifted upwardly when desired. In order to manually elevate the forward end of the conveyer frame and the plow secured thereto, I have prov idcd a lever 34, which is pivotally secured to the frame 3, and is provided at its lower end with a right angled extension 35, to which is pivotally secured a link 3G, the lower end of which is 1)ivoted to the side of the conveyer frame 5, so that when it is desired to elevate the lower end of the conveyer frame and disengage the plow from the ground, the upper end of the lever 34 may be moved rearwardly, which The forward end of the conveyer frame 5 is adjustably' will result in raising the plow and the lower end oi' the conveyor frame.

A standard 37 is secured to the tongue 4 near its juncture with the frame 3, to the lower end of which is secured a wheel 38 and by which means the forward end of the frame 3 is supported above the ground and normally held in a horizontal position. Then the digger is not in use the iorwai'd end oi' the conveyer frame is elevated until the opening 39 in the arms 3l is disposed above the frame 3, and the Cotter pin 33 disposed through the opening 39, thereby disposing the plow G entirely out ot' engagement with the earth, so that the digger may be freely moved from place to place.

To more conveniently retain the potatoes and deposit them in bulk upon the ground or into any suitable receptacle, l have provided at the rear end ol the conveyor trame 5, a hopper 40 into which are deposited the potatoes as they are elevated by the carrier i9 and in order to readily deposit the potatoes into the hopper a portion ot the fixed strips 2l are made shorter than the remainder ol the strips so that the potatoes will reely drop into the hopper. I have also provided a swinging closure 4] for the lower end of the hopper 40, said closure being supported by means ot' arms 42 which are pivotally secured to t side oi the hopper and in order to conveniently operate the closure, one ol' the arms is provided with a handle 43 thereby enabling me to readily dispose the closure. into or out of engagement with the lower end ot the hopper. By this construction it will be readily seen that when the potatoes are conveyed to the upper end of the conveyer frame 5 that they will be deposited in the hopper and remain therein until such time as it is desired to deposit the same directly upon the ground or into a receptacle and this result is accomplished by swinging the closure 4l to one side of the hopper.

InA order to readily extract the weeds and vines from the earth and prevent the same from becoming clogged within the conveyer frame, I have provided a suitable pulling device consisting o a roller 44 which is dis-l posed across the lower end of the conveyor trame 5 and into the path ot the ascending earth and particles carried thereby, the supportingl shafts 45 ot the roller 44 extending through slots 46 in the sides of the conveyer .trame and being seated in the heads 47 of retaining bolts 48, said bolts extending through ears 49 on the outer face of the conveyer frame 5, the bolts being yieldingly held in engagement with said ears by means of springs 50 which are disposed around the bolts and are held in position thereon by means of nuts 5l and by this construction it will be seen that the roller 44 can readily adjust itself to accommodate the different bulk ot earth directed into engagement therewith.

The roller 44 is adapted to rotate at a greater speed than the earth is traveling thereunder so that the roller will readily engage the vines and weeds carried by the earth and extract the same therefrom and to this end one 0i the supporting shafts 45 is elongatedV and provided with a sprocket wheel 52 around which is disposed a sprocket chain 53 which is in turn directed around a driving sprocket 54 carried by the shaft l.. It will now be seen that by extracting the vines and weeds contained in the earth that the same will be thrown loosely into engagement with the carrier 19 andcbe moved to the upper end of the strips 2l where they will be deposited directly upon the ground. It will also be seen that the springs 50 will retain the roller into engagement with the vines etc., at all times. By this construction it will be seen that l have provided a very cheap, durable and efiicient device for digging the potatoes and separating the same from the earth and it will also be seen that l have provided convenient means for collecting the potatoes whereby the same may be deposited in bulk into any suitable receptacle or upon the ground and it will also be seen that the weeds and vines will be readily separated from the potatoes and deposited in the rear of the digger.

What I claim is;

1. In a digger of the class described, the combination with an inclined conveyer frame and means to support and adjust the same, of a carrier in said frame, longitudinallydisposed slats beneath said carrier, a shaker in the lower portion of said frame, and means to move said shaker laterally, and a pulling device mounted in the forward end of said trame over the free end of the shaker.

2. In a digger ot' the class described, the combination with an inclined conveyor frame and means to support and adjust the same, of a carrier in said frame, longitudinallydisposed slats beneath said carrier, a shaker in the lower portion of said frame, and means to move said shaker laterally, a pulling device mounted in the forward end ot' said frame over the free end ot the shaker, and means for allowing' the said pulling device to automatically adjust itself to differing bulks of earth.

l In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN HEBTING.

Witnesses CHAS. SPENCER, C. B. BENDURE. 

